Camden Farm

For the past 300 years, seven generations of the Pratt family have lived at Camden Farm on the banks of the Rappahannock River in Caroline County, Virginia. Today, John Pratt and his family live in the historic home on the property, which was built in 1859 and has been designated by the National Park Service as a National Historic Landmark. The Pratt family wants to preserve the house and its surrounding land as a working farm, which it has been since the family settled on the land.One of the Pratt family’s nearest neighbors is the 76,000-acre Fort A.P. Hill, one of the largest military training installations on the East Coast. With nearby residential development threatening to encroach on the boundaries of the training facility, the U.S. Army approached the Fund and a wide array of other organizations and agencies to create a zone of open space around Fort A.P. Hiill.

Our Role

Working with our partners and the Army Compatible Use Buffer (ACUB) program, we facilitated two land conservation agreements at Camden Farm in 2009. One easement—granted to both Virginia Outdoors Foundation and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources—conserves 500 acres that contain the site of a 17th century American Indian community. This easement is the country’s first example of the Department of Defense and a state historic preservation office working together to mitigate cultural impacts on a military installation by protecting historic resources outside its boundaries.

The second conservation easement of an additional 182 acres allows the Pratt family to retain legal title to their land and the ability to maintain its current use, while limiting future land use and development options. “It’s important to me to be a part of the natural, historical and cultural legacy we leave for future generations, and this partnership gives me the opportunity to do that,” said John Pratt, owner of Camden Farm.

These two easements are among 3,000 acres of land that have been conserved by a variety of partners, including The Fund, around Fort A.P. Hill. as part of the ACUB program.

Why This Project Matters

In addition to safeguarding the military’s training mission, the buffer preserves valuable wildlife habitat, protects sensitive natural, historic and cultural resources and enhances the quality of life in nearby communities. “The ACUB partnership is a great example of modern conservation, says Reggie Hall, director of the Fund’s Land Conservation Loan Program. “It’s a relationship where everyone wins—the military, the environment and the community. It brings together diverse partners with common goals to achieve uncommon results."

“At Ft. A.P. Hill we are not only protecting wildlife habitat, cultural resources and working landscapes, but we are also helping to ensure that our country’s military will have a place to train as they prepare to defend our nation. Through this ground-breaking partnership, we’re not only protecting history, we’re making history at the Camden Farm.”

Many of the Fort A.P. Hill ACUB partnership's priority areas for protection complement the goals and objectives of the nearby Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge, established primarily to preserve habitat for bald eagles and other migratory birds. There is currently a pair of bald eagles that nest along the section of the Rappahannock by Camden Farm.

The Fort A.P. Hill Army Compatible Use Buffer Program Partnership brings together diverse partners with common goals to produce uncommon results. The land preservation agreements in place at Camden Farm create permanent open space, allowing Fort A.P. Hill to continue training missions and forge positive relationships with its neighbors. In addition, the agreements protect wildlife habitat as well as cultural, natural and historic resources and the agricultural way of life for the community’s farmers.

The Pratt family has lived at Camden Farm for seven generations—more than 300 years. The historic home dates to 1859 and is one of the finest example of the Italian Villa style of mid-19th century America. The architect’s original drawings survive in the house, as well as much of the original furniture, draperies, carpeting, light fixtures and the still-operating floral china basins in each bedroom. The house originally had a third story, which was shot off by a gunboat in the Civil War and was not replaced. Because of its excellent state of preservation, the home is a National Historic Landmark.

Changing Times At Camden FarmPhoto by Chita Middleton/The Conservation Fund

Times have changed since this gas pump was installed at Camden Farm—and since the establishment of Fort A.P. Hill in 1941. Started as a place to train troops for World War II, Fort A.P. Hill continues to train soldiers, but over the years urban and suburban development have posed a challenge to this installation and others nationwide. Incompatible land uses—primarily residential developments—close to an installation’s boundary can limit training and other military operations

Banks Of The Rappahannock RiverPhoto by Chita Middleton/The Conservation Fund

Camden Farm sits on the banks of the Rappahannock River, which is recognized as a river of national significance. The Rappahannock provides freshwater to the Chesapeake Bay and habitat for globally rare plant species, regionally important fish populations, neotropical birds species and raptors. “It’s our responsibility to preserve the unique character of the Rappahannock River Valley.” — John Pratt, owner of Camden Farm.

A former slave cabin remains standing among fields of corn at Camden Farm in Virginia. The Fund is part of a groundbreaking partnership, The Fort A.P. Hill Army Compatible Use Buffer Partnership, that conserved nearly 3,000 acres near the Rappahannock River in 2008, including 682 acres at Camden Farm, a National Historic Landmark.

Camden Farm produces wheat, corn and soy crops. The Conservation Fund facilitated a second conservation easement on Camden Farm that allows the landowner to retain legal title to the land and the ability to maintain its current use, while limiting future land use and development options.

“It’s important to me to be a part of the natural, historical and cultural legacy we leave for future generations, and this partnership gives me the opportunity to do that,” said John Pratt, owner of Camden Farm. The Pratt family's ancestors started farming the lands of Camden Farm more than 300 years ago, and the family wants to preserve the land as a working farm. A local farmer now manages the growing and harvesting of crops.

Fort A.P. Hill sits just a short distance from Camden Farm. At nearly 76,000 acres, it is one of the largest military installations on the East Coast, and thousands of soldiers train here each year. The Army Compatible Use Buffer (ACUB) program creates a zone of open space around Fort A.P. Hill, thereby safeguarding the installation’s training mission. In addition, the buffer preserves valuable wildlife habitat, protects sensitive natural, historic and cultural resources and enhances the quality of life in nearby communities.